How to train a kitten to dry food?

Kittens are incredibly cute and playful creatures. As soon as they are born, they immediately begin to feed on mother's milk, but over time, the body of the cubs grows. Animals have new needs, and the owner of the animal needs to introduce other food into the diet. Cooking healthy food for kittens is troublesome, and for this reason, many owners purchase ready-made dry food. But here a new problem arises - transferring the cubs to solid, dry food.

Finished products are a convenient solution for pet owners, since the product will not deteriorate and will not require any preparation. But not all dry food can be suitable for the diet of small pets, this food must be given at a certain age of the kitten.

In kittens, the stomach and intestines are too soft and sensitive, so dry food will lead to minor injuries to the mucous membrane. Babies need to diversify their food, and not immediately give them a purely dry product. In addition to food, you can offer milk, kefir, cottage cheese, boiled chicken, boiled egg.

Dry food can be given to pets who are 1.5 months old, but such food must be prepared in advance. Pour milk containing little lactose on top of the dry granules. You can also use low-fat kefir, broth, or water. Dry food is often mixed with a meat ingredient. Then you will need to wait until the liquid is absorbed into the food and the granules do not swell. As soon as the granules grow in size, you need to take a fork and crush the food so that it turns into porridge.

In order for the cub to quickly switch to dry food, its mother must be fed the same food during lactation. It is not necessary to give the kitten only dry granules, alternate them with finely chopped pieces of meat, poultry or fish fillets.

When the kitten is 2 months old, dry food will need to be diluted in less milk, and not mixed dry food with soft food. You need to gradually switch to dry food. At 2.5 months, the baby will have formed all the taste, and a minimum of liquid will be needed. At 3 months, the granules can be given without any liquid.

Since pets have a small stomach, they cannot feel full from food. For this reason, kittens themselves do not understand how much food they want to eat. Hosts should take this into account and put in small portions of dry food 4 times a day. For kittens that eat dry food, always leave clean water.

At 3.5-6.5 months, pets change their teeth, at which time dry products are useful. The food will be able to help temporary teeth fall out quickly and promote the development of chewing tissues in the oral cavity. Inside the dry food contains all the necessary minerals and trace elements, but if the food is not basic, you need to give the little pet additional vitamins. To get them, in addition to dry food, the kitten needs to be offered boiled chicken, meat, cottage cheese.

By 6.5-12.5 months, pets begin to grow up, and they need to be fed like adult cats. Milk should not be given at this age, as it will lead to indigestion.

Before buying dry food for your pets, you need to find out the name and composition of all dry food.

Economy class feeds will be able to contain bone meal (instead of pure meat), plant products that are not of high quality. Colors and flavors are added to make the food look appealing. Premium products have selected ingredients and all the vitamins and minerals you need. Sources of protein will be meat components, poultry and fish. The plant element is corn. Good food is characterized by high digestibility and economy.

Dry mixes from the Super Premium class are made from products that are of the highest quality: salmon fillet, eggs, rice. These feeds contain proteins, fats and carbohydrates, these substances can be obtained from the main ingredients. These feeds have a higher energy value than cheap or even just premium ones. With such food, the kitten will receive the most necessary substances every day.

Choosing a menu for kittens is not an easy and responsible task. The diet of babies in whom the body is just beginning to develop should have useful, complete and balanced substances.

• Royal Canin. It can be given to kittens from six months. Such products contain a complex that has easily digestible proteins and fiber, which improve digestion and normalize stool. This product also contains antioxidants and vitamin and mineral elements.

• Hill`s Science Plan Kitten. It contains Omega-3 acids, protein, taurine, phosphorus, calcium and other elements that can provide the kitten with normal growth. The kitten can be given tuna or chicken, they contain animal protein. This food will allow the immune system to get stronger, the teeth and bones of the pet will be healthy.

• Pro Plan Junior. This is the optimal menu for kittens. The feed contains vitamins C and D, colostrum, which is an important source of immunoglobulin. And whey contributes to the better functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

So that the animal's nutrition contains exclusively selected and high quality products, you must choose a dry mix from the Super Premium category.

• ACANA Orijen Cat & Kitten. There is a line of 9 foods for kittens of different breeds. These feeds are of excellent quality, they include poultry meat without pits, turkey liver, salmon, and much more.

• GO! Natural Holistic Fit + Free. This food is divided into several types: containing grains or beans, and food for pets with food allergies. The product includes such ingredients as selected chicken, duck, trout with potatoes, peas, pumpkin. The active ingredients are lactobacilli and fish oil.

• Grandorf Holistic Indoor. This category includes 6 hypoallergenic foods. Two of them contain prebiotics necessary for good digestion.

• Almo Nature Holistic Turkey & Rice. This product contains not only dry food for kittens, but also canned food for mature animals. The menu contains real meat, which will reduce the burden on the kidneys, alfalfa can improve the cardiovascular system and normalize the digestive tract. There is an element of green tea in the products, which will help the kitten's immunity to get stronger.

Once you find out what good products are for pets, you don't have to worry about the diet of your little pets. The main thing is to carefully study all the information indicated on the pack.

To teach a kitten to eat dry food, you must follow a certain order.

First, choose a quality food that smells good and doesn't have a lot of fat. Offer a little to your pet so that the kitten can taste and smell the products. If the kitten likes dry food, add food to a bowl, and pour liquid on top so that the granules can soften. After that, the kitten can be fed with the resulting mixture, or you can add the usual food to it.

But if the kitten does not want to eat, then only dry food should be poured into its plate, and nothing else should be given until the baby tastes the food. With this method, the pet develops a reflex. The kitten will understand that after the dry mixture he can be given the usual food. In order for the animal to get used to the dry mixture, it is necessary to reduce the amount of natural food. Start feeding more pellets. Little by little, the pet is adapting to new tastes.

As soon as a few weeks have passed, the kitten can be completely transferred to a new type of food. All this time it is necessary to observe the body of the animal. If the pet begins to have constipation or diarrhea, then it must be taken to the veterinarian, who will advise on another food - perhaps the one purchased earlier is not suitable.

Many veterinarians recommend not giving kittens natural food along with dry food, as this can lead to problems with the gastrointestinal tract. You can check this only on your own experience, since some kittens eat natural and dry food both in childhood and as adults, and nothing happens to them, while others start having diarrhea after a couple of hours.

Sometimes it happens that the kitten does not want to use the dry mixture, and he categorically does not like it. You can just change the brand of the product, perhaps the kitten prefers another manufacturer. Pets have their own personal taste needs, so there is no need to purchase huge amounts of dry food.

If the kitten ate food poorly, and then completely stopped using it, then this behavior suggests that the pet is tired of eating monotonous food. To regain his appetite, you need to give him some pate and mashed potatoes.

A kitten will refuse food if it does not have a special flavor. Therefore, you cannot fill the bowl to the brim. The animal will not eat the entire volume at once, and the standing food will disappear. Because of this, the cat will not eat it, expecting a fresh and aromatic portion. For the same reason, you do not need to buy a huge package of dry products, because they can be stored for a long time and acquire an off-odor, and this degrades the quality of the ingredients inside the granules. So that the kitten does not refuse food, its bowl must be washed daily. After that, the plate is thoroughly dried with a clean towel.

The kitten may not eat dry food, because it is too small, and it is not yet time to force the milk baby to eat "crackers". Be patient, here you just need to wait a little. If the kitten does not eat any food, then this is a sign of the disease. Such a pet needs to be taken to the veterinarian.

For information on how to accustom a kitten to dry food, see the next video.